Improvement in rods for sole-fastenings



BENJAMIN F. STUR'IEVANT, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN RODS FOR SOLE-FASTENINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 162,972, dated May 4,1875; application filed March 17, 1875.

State of Massachusetts, have invented Rodsfor Sole-Fastenings, of whichthe following is a specification:

This invention relates to rods for the manufacture of sole-fastenings;and consists of strips or rods of ligne-ous materiahwith crosssectionalsize adapted to form sole-fastenings, and of indefinite length, producedfrom strips or rods of considerably greater cross-sectional size bymeans of heat and compression, the heat causing the wood to set or toretain quite or nearly the size given by compression until moisture isabsorbed by the wood, said compressed strips or rods being peculiarlyadapted to form the Weft of webs of sole-fastening material described inapplications for Letters Patent heretofore made by me, or to be used inits wire-like form in machines designed to fasten soles with materialhaving such form, or to be used when out into single pegs, as pegs arecommonly manipulated by hand workmen.

The drawing represents side and end views of three classes of rods forsole-fastenings.

Rods a are square, rods 11 are round, rods 0 are octagonal, and at d isshown the end of an oval rod. These rods are cut from wood in longstrips, and considerably larger than the size of the sole-fastenin g itis desired to make.

I show one method of cutting a piece of wood into thin strips in anapplication filed concurrently with this, where saws are used to dividethe wood into strips.

When out into strips, the strips pass be tween heated pressure orcompressin g rollers, resting in annular grooves in these rollers, thegrooves being smaller than the size of the strip; and these grooves aremade of a shape to correspond with the shape of the rod or peg orsole-fastening to be made, and a number of these grooves may be placedside by side in these compressing-rollers, to reduce the substance ofthe strips more and more at each passage between the rollers.

There is always a little moisture in the wood or ligneous fiber, and, onpassing between the heated rollers, which are also caused to bear withmuch force against the wood, the moisture in the wood is, by the heat,converted into steam, the glutinous material in the wood is started, thewood is a little softened at first by the action of the heat, and thepressure to which the wood is subjected compresses the fibers of thewood closely together, reducing the size of the strips; and when socompressed and finally dried by the action of the heated rollers, thefiber or substance of the rods is set or held compacted, and the rods sofinished will remain in their compressed condition until by moisturethey are swollen. These rods so compressed, and usually in long lengths,are to be cut up into lengths suitable to form the wefts of fabricsdescribed in applications heretofore made by me for United StatesPatents for sole-fastening webs, and when woven into a web, these rodswill be severed into strips in the direction of the length of the wovenfabric, and of a width equal to the length of the peg which it isdesired to produce. These pegs, when driven into the leather orsubstance of the sole and moistened, will swell, and resumesubstantially their size before they were compressed, and in this way itis possible to get very much more wood than ordinary in a peg-hole ofgiven size, and the result will be better work, or work more securelyheld together. These rods, instead of being woven into fabrics as weft,might be used as wires are used in pegging-machines; and then, to pointpegs cut from such rods, I may employ any of the devices heretoforedescribed in other patents granted me.

I do not desire to limit myself to any particular class of wood; but thewoods I prefer to use are those of which pegs are now commonly made.These rods are very hard and rigid, the heated rolls hardening them andsmoothing their surfaces to a great degree, and pegs cut from theserods, either separately or as a web, are very stiff, and will drive withcertainty without crippling. These rods are herein described as beingcompressed by the action of heated rollers; but it is evident that otherforms of compressing devices might be usedas, for instance, jaws.

I do not desire to limit myself to any particular degree of compressionto be given to the wood, as that will depend altogether on the class ofwood being used, some woods ber In testimonywhereof Ihave signed my namein g capable of more compression than others. to this specification inthe presence of two sub- I claim 7 scribing witnesses. As a new articleof manufacture, peg-sized, consolidated, hot-pressed rods of ligneousma- BENJ' STUR'TEVANT' terial, of several pegs length, hardened andWitnesses: adapted to form weft of sole-fastening Webs, G. W. GREGORY,and separate pegs, substantially as described. S. B. KIDDER.

